4 Baz Luhrmann Films You Should Watch Before ELVIS Enters the Building

4 Baz Luhrmann Films You Should Watch Before ELVIS Enters the Building
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With the arrival of Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS film in cinemas, folks are likely feeling the urge to tune into some other movies by the Aussie director. Luhrmann has given us some iconic films over the years, so let’s take a look back at some of the better titles and where you can stream them in Australia.

The best Baz Luhrmann movies and where to watch them

The Red Curtain Trilogy

First thing’s first. If we’re looking at Baz Luhrmann movies, there’s no going past his Red Curtain Trilogy. The three films were shot in a highly theatrical style (the drama, darling) and they’re some of Luhrmann’s most famous pieces of work.

Strictly Ballroom (1992)

Baz Luhrmann movies. Miramax
Baz Luhrmann movies. Miramax

Strictly Ballroom takes audiences into the weird and wonderful world of competitive ballroom dancing in Australia, where the outfits are outrageous and the personalities (and fake tans) are even more over the top.

The movie synopsis reads as follows:

A top ballroom dancer pairs with a plain, left-footed local girl when his maverick style earns him the disdain of his more conventionally-minded colleagues.

Watch it on ABC iview.

William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Baz Luhrmann movies
Baz Luhrmann movies. Credit: 20th Century Fox

William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 take on the classic tale of love and loss (and poor communication). Starring baby-faced Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio, the film is a cult favourite for a reason.

The film synopsis reads as follows:

Baz Luhrmann helped adapt this classic Shakespearean romantic tragedy for the screen, updating the setting to a post-modern city named Verona Beach. In this version, the Capulets and the Montagues are two rival gangs. Juliet (Claire Danes) is attending a costume ball thrown by her parents. Her father Fulgencio Capulet (Paul Sorvino) has arranged her marriage to the boorish Paris (Paul Rudd) as part of a strategic investment plan. Romeo attends the masked ball and he and Juliet fall in love.

Watch it on Disney+.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Moulin Rouge
Baz Luhrmann movies. Credit: 20th Century Studios

Can you can, can, can? Moulin Rouge! is a saucy, high-energy explosion of glitz and glamour. Following the lives of courtesans in Paris, this musical film (which is now a musical-musical) is quite the party – and it stars Ewan McGregor alongside Nicole Kidman.

The film synopsis reads as follows:

Christian, an English writer, travels to Paris to join the Bohemian revolution. He visits the city’s biggest night club, Moulin Rouge, and falls in love with its star performer and courtesan, Satine.

Watch it on Disney+.


The Great Gatsby (2013)

Baz Luhrmann movies. Credit: Warner Bros.

While your best bet is to stick to the Red Curtain Trilogy (these are easily Baz Luhrmann’s best movies), there may be some of you may be wishing to revisit the green light with The Great Gatsby, too.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan, the film is based on the 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The film’s synopsis reads as follows:

Nick Carraway, a World War I veteran who moves to New York with the hope of making it big, finds himself attracted to Jay Gatsby and his flamboyant lifestyle.

Watch it on Stan.

If you’re wondering where Australia is on this list, it’s been left off because I can’t in good consciousness add it to a list of the best Baz Luhrmann movies (Gatsby very nearly didn’t make it) – sorry about it.


Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS will hit theatres in Australia on June 23, 2022. The film will also be screened as a part of the Sydney Film Festival on June 15 and 17.


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At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

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